


Playing Strangers

by bacta_junkie



Series: Miraculous Musings [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, This is really elaborate, love square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 03:49:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6407593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bacta_junkie/pseuds/bacta_junkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug meets Adrien, Adrien meets Marinette, Marinette meets Chat Noir. What happens when things get really, really complicated?</p>
<p>(In which all four ships in the love square are happening at once, and they still haven't figured out each other's identities.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ladybug, meet Adrien.

**Author's Note:**

> This is happening whether I want it to or not. (I really want it to.)
> 
> AU towards the end of the season finale, in which Adrien has a panic attack when Ladybug comes to check on him, instead of the beautiful heartbreaking scene in which they both rest their heads against the door. It spirals rapidly from there, but I'm trying to keep it as canon as I can.

Adrien Agreste cannot breathe.

His heart won’t stop pounding. All of his muscles are tense. He pounds on his chest, desperate for relief. He slumps against the door, his Miraculous wearing off and the weight of his life crashing down on him.

This happens sometimes, after a particularly stressful Akuma attack. Being Chat Noir is so freeing, so refreshing, and going back to being Adrien, it’s like being shoved underwater after a breath of fresh air.

On the opposite side of the door, Ladybug hears his back hit the door, hears his sobs as he gasps for air, and wrenches the door open, not even thinking of the consequences. _Adrien needs me_ , and she’ll be damned if she lets him suffer alone.

He crumples against her, the tears finally coming, and she pulls him close, surprised and shocked at this sudden outburst from such a soft-spoken person. But she can’t let slip that she knows him. She pulls him into her lap, soothingly running her fingers through his hair and whispering soft shushes into his ear.

It takes a minute, but he manages to regain his composure. He shifts to rest against the wall, unable to look her in the eye.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, tentatively, gently.

And she really does sound like she means it. It makes his heart skip. This wonderful, incredible woman, who as far as she knew had only met him hours ago, who had risked everything to keep him safe, wants to listen to his problems.

_Every time we meet, I think I could never fall for you any further, and each time, I’m surprised._

Adrien takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. He can’t tell her about being Chat Noir. He can’t explain to her the way he goes from soaring to drowning. But he can try.

“Being me is.” He chokes back an aftershock. “It’s great! It’s amazing, I get to travel the world, meet amazing people. I am so blessed to live the life I have.”

“But,” Ladybug says for him.

“But there are many things expected of me. I am expected to achieve perfect marks, I am expected to keep perfect composure, I must have the perfect look, the perfect behavior. Perfect student, perfect model, perfect son.” He bangs his head against the wall after each ‘perfect’. “It’s suffocating sometimes. You know I had to sneak away to go to a private school?” He laughs bitterly. “Father wanted me to remain locked away in this dungeon until I was of age. Fussed over by tutors and nannies, but never his concern. I just wanted to be normal.”

He doesn’t know where all this is coming from. Ladybug doesn’t know him, not really, she’s only just met him today. But he trusts her, so damn much, and he can’t keep this all in anymore.

“That first day of class…” he starts, quieter this time. “I didn’t tell him I’d enrolled. I just left, snuck out, and pretended I belonged there. I should’ve known I could never be an ordinary person.”

Ladybug sits down next to him. The look in her eyes, it’s like she’s seeing him for the first time. He supposes she is.

“You’re not perfect, Adrien,” she says, resting a hand on his shoulder, “and you don’t have to be. You’re a person, a _really good one_ , and nobody, especially not your own father, should ever take that away from you. You don’t have to be a sculpture.” She blushes. “Even if you look like one sometimes.”

He raises an eyebrow at her, and then laughs, because that’s actually pretty funny. She joins in a moment later, and soon they’re clutching each other and wiping away good tears.

She stands, and holds a hand out to him so that he can do the same. After a moment’s hesitation, he hugs her, tight.

“Thank you, Ladybug,” he whispers, trying hard not to tremble.

She holds him back. “Any time.”

When he pulls away, she’s red in the face, and she doesn’t seem to have realized what she said. “I-I mean- not, y’know, _any_ time, since I’m not Ladybug most hours of the day, but, oh God, I’m rambling again.”

He smiles fondly. She never gets flustered when he’s Chat Noir, but for some reason Adrien makes her awkward. It’s endearing, like he’s seeing a side of her that he’s not normally privy to.

(He likes to think that the side that’s playful and flirty, the side that rolls her eyes at him and the side that’s endlessly defensive and loyal to Chat Noir- he likes to think that side is reserved for him alone.)

“Maybe- Maybe we could, I don’t know… do this again sometime?” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I’d love to get to know Paris’ most Miraculous lady, and truth be told, I-I kind of need someone to vent to. I don’t have a lot of people I can talk to about this sort of thing.”

She cocks her head at him as he walks her to the open window. “I’m sure you have friends you can talk to.”

He shakes his head in dismissal. “My friends are still a bit awestruck by the rich model to notice the cracks,” he says, shrugging bitterly.

She steps up onto the edge of the window and flashes him the tenderest smile he’s ever seen her aim at him. “Well, I can’t be Ladybug all the time, but… maybe I could find the time when you need me. Is tomorrow night alright? After Chat Noir and I finish patrol, I can come by around eleven?”

It takes all the willpower in his body to stifle the laugh that nearly escapes. “Sounds lovely.”

She gives him a reassuring nod. “You are better than you think you are. And you should never have to suffer alone.”

And then she’s out the window, and he watches her go until she’s just a speck of red in the distance, swinging through the skies of Paris.


	2. Adrien, meet Marinette.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien meets Marinette for the first time, all at once.

The next day, class brings ever more surprises into Marinette’s life.

Like the fact that she can now, apparently, speak to Adrien without stammering.

And sure, it’s not like she’s got so much to say to him anyway. But it’s almost _more_ embarrassing, the way half the class has to pick their jaws up off the floor when she strolls into the room with Alya, sets her bag down on her desk, and says, “Oh, good morning, Adrien. Did you see this week’s new spring fashion lineup? I must say, I’m really excited to get ahead of the competition this year. I’m thinking jackets in dark colors, maybe velvet interior? Anyway, I digress. What do you think?”

A feather landing on the ground would’ve made more noise than the collective class did, Adrien included.

“Well, i-if Father’s notes and the hints his seamstresses have dropped are any indication,” he starts, slowly, “I could see that being a good place to start.”

She waves a hand at him. “Why, Adrien, if you’re going to give me insider secrets, then I should definitely keep you around, yes?”

And that’s when Alya drags her out into the hallway.

“Okay, what gives, girl?” she says, accusingly, once they’ve found a quiet corner.

“What do you mean?” Marinette blushes, knowing exactly what Alya means.

“I mean yesterday you were stalking him behind bookshelves and tripping over nothing every time he walked by. Now, you’re so coherent you’re making _him_ stutter. _What. Gives.”_

Marinette rolls her eyes dismissively. “I don’t know, Alya. Maybe I’m over him?”

The look on Alya’s face says _try again._

“I guess I just realized that he’s a person, you know? He’s a human, with flaws. He’s not this perfect human being that I’ve built him up to be.” She sighs. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still crazy about him- believe me, my heart was pounding just striking up a conversation like that, and I don’t know if you noticed but I was a little rambly in there anyway. But I’m never going to win his heart if I can’t even talk to him. I want him to get to know me, and I want to get to know him, and it’s hard to do either when I can’t get a single sentence out with him.”

Alya wipes away an imaginary tear. “My baby is growing up! I’m so proud of you!” She throws herself at Marinette. “Now get in there and knock him dead!”

 

Of course, all the while, Adrien is having a complete utter crisis.

Marinette has always been something of an enigma to him. They shared a sweet moment under the umbrella the day they met, and he thought maybe they could be friends, but then she just… wouldn’t talk to him. She made excuses to leave whenever he was around, she got real quiet when he joined conversations, and she always seemed uncomfortable in his presence. All made ever weirder by the fact that, whenever he saw her from a distance, whether it be the day Chat Noir spent protecting her from a crazed lovesick Akuma victim, or the time she ran for Class Representative, she turned into this brilliant, brave, quick-witted woman he never got to see.

He has always been convinced that she just didn’t like him. After all, people who enjoy each other’s company don’t typically act like Marinette does when he’s around.

So when she sits down and strikes up a casual conversation with him, he’s taken aback. It’s all he can do not to stare. Is this what he’s been missing?

She sits down across from him and Nino at lunch, Alya not far behind, and the banter continues. It’s maddening, and he loves it.

This time, he strikes first. He spots the sweets she’s packed with her lunch, and cocks an eyebrow. “Macarons? For lunch?”

Marinette rolls her eyes, smirking. “My parents run a bakery, which you know, because you’ve been to my house before.”

Adrien strikes back. “In my defense, I didn’t get to try the food. Perhaps you’d be willing to share?”

She ponders the idea, tapping her chin as though deep in thought. “Oh, very well,” she says, faking defeat and handing him one of the macarons. “But only because I love getting people addicted to my parents’ baking.”

He takes a bite, and stifles back a moan. “My goodness, this is _sinful_ ,” he says. His father would have a fit if he caught Adrien talking with his mouth full, but he can’t bring himself to care.

Marinette moves in for the kill. She rests her chin on her open palm, a wicked smirk on her face. “Well then, I suppose you’ll just have to come by and get more, won’t you?”

“Oh, I definitely will. I think you’ve got a convert,” he says, opening his own lunch. “Maybe I could come by after school? I have a quick photoshoot to take care of, but I’m free after five. We could work on that physics homework together. I’ll buy.”

“Well if you’re buying, then I guess I don’t have to tell you my secret.” She leans in and whispers conspiratorially, “I have an in with the owners.”

He gasps. “No way! I hear their daughter’s really cool, too. Think you could get me some goods?”

She nods, her eyes going all shifty like she’s careful of eavesdroppers. “Oh, I can get you the goods.”

It is at this point that Alya clears her throat, and the two of them turn to find her and Nino looking incredibly amused. “No, no, go on, don’t let us interrupt.”

Marinette at least has the good sense to look embarrassed. Adrien smirks like the cat that caught the canary.

 

Alya doesn’t get the chance to corner her again until they’ve left school. “So would you mind telling me what the _damn hell_ that was?”

Marinette rolls her eyes. “Oh, it wasn’t a big deal! We were just talking.”

“I’ve seen less innuendo from trashy romance novels, Marinette! You were flirting with him! Not even light flirting, either; the heavy stuff!”

She shrugs. “I keep telling you, he’s just a person! He’s my friend, and I like talking to him, and I fully intend to continue doing so.”

“Oh, if you keep going like this, you two won’t be doing much talking.” Alya cocks a hip and an eyebrow at the same time.

Marinette turns crimson. “You really think so?”

Alya looks so relieved. “Oh thank god, it’s really you. I thought for sure you’d been replaced by a robot who had _way more game_ than you did.”

“I’m telling you, he doesn’t like me like that. Besides, I’ve spent months and months being all weird and awkward; do you really think one day is going to change all that?”

Alya shakes her head, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You didn’t see the way the two of you were acting at lunch. I swear, you were a different person. It honestly reminded me of-“ she gasps. “Oh, I almost forgot! Ladybug and Chat Noir were chasing down a villain all over town yesterday! And you’ll never believe who the villain was after.”

“Let me guess; Chloe?” Marinette smirks sardonically. “Because it seems like every other villain that shows up is mad at Chloe.”

“Nope! She was after _Adrien Agreste._ ”

Marinette gasps, putting on her best shocked face. “Well thank God he’s okay! And me, oh goodness, I didn’t ask him once all day if he was alright. Now he’s going to hate me- he probably thinks I’m-“

“Hey, no need to regress so soon! You were doing so well, too!” Alya says, smiling and shaking her head fondly.

Marinette stops, glad to have thrown Alya off her trail once more. She loves her best friend, truly, but if Alya knew the truth about Ladybug, there’s no way she’d forgive Marinette for keeping it a secret from her.

 

Meanwhile, across town, Adrien is having a crisis. Again. (It’s been a big week for him.)

For almost a year, now, he has been absolutely certain that Ladybug has his heart. There’s nobody he’d rather love than his Lady, and he shall remain ever faithful to her. Even if she doesn't love him the way he loved her, he is loyal to a fault, and could never stray from his devotion.

And then, in the course of a single day, Marinette Dupain-Cheng- a girl who, until now, he’s always been certain wanted nothing to do with him- has completely demolished that.

And he doesn’t want to place blame, but this is _all her fault_.

Of course, normally, he would go claws-out and take to the rooftops to clear his head, but there’s no way he could do that now- she’s expecting him in just a few minutes. Even having given himself a few hours to compose himself, he still has no idea what to do about his tumultuous heart.

 


	3. Marinette, meet Chat Noir.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps she really didn't know her kitty as well as she thought she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, I'll start coming up with better names for chapters soon.

He doesn’t show.

Marinette is absolutely crestfallen.

But not heartbroken. She refuses to lose hope. Certainly, there’s a good reason for why he couldn’t make it.

She retires to her room after the bakery closes, demanding that her heart stop pounding, refusing to give herself the satisfaction of letting tears loose. Either something came up and he couldn’t get away, or he changed his mind, which, okay, would be bad, but certainly not the end of the world, right?

After all, he’s just a boy. A very pretty boy, yes, but as she discovered yesterday, a very human one as well.

She’s distracted from her ruminations by a tap on the window, and is well and truly shocked to find her partner in crime out on her roof.

“What are you doing here, Chat Noir? You can’t just come to my house so late,” she hisses as she opens the window and steps outside. It’s just reaching twilight, and Paris is always so beautiful at this time of day, especially in the spring.

He puts his hands up in surrender. “While I’m flattered that you’re so worried about my reputation, princess, I assure you that being seen won’t damage it in the least.”

She rolls her eyes as she shuffles him inside. ( _I’ve been rolling my eyes a lot lately,_ she thinks.) “It’s not your reputation I’m worried about. If Alya finds out, she’ll think I know you, and then I’ll never hear the end of it.”

He makes himself at home, dropping into his desk chair and practically purring, “Well I came anyway. And don’t tell me you’re not happy to see me?”

She frowns. “Truth be told, I’m a little surprised. How did you even find me?”

“I was out making sure the city was safe, and wouldn’t you know it, there you were, right inside the building I just so happened to drop down onto.”

“Try again,” she says, slumping over onto her bed.

“Would you believe the other alley cats and I like to trade gossip?” He grins, a Cheshire cat grin.

“Oh?” she says, deciding to play along. “And what do they say about me?”

“That you’re _purrrr-_ fect, princess.”

She laughs, loudly and soundly, and it rings through the room.

Chat Noir’s breathe hitches.

“Three out of ten. Not your best work.” She sits up in her bed, giving him her attention. “And what gossip did you offer them in return?”

Her laughter is infectious. He wants to hear it every day. “I told them a saucy rumor I heard about Ladybug cheating on me.”

She giggles, eyes moving about the room like she’s got a secret. “Oh, she is, is she? And who, might I ask, is her mistress in this torrid affair?”

“Adrien Agreste,” he says, flatly, and suddenly the wind is knocked out of her.

For a brief moment, she thinks for certain that Chat Noir _knows who she is_. But then, how could he? He must’ve simply seen her swinging from Adrien’s window, or perhaps read the story Alya wrote about it- after all, hadn’t Alya told her just a few hours ago about Ladybug saving Adrien’s life? Surely Chat would’ve heard.

“O-oh,” she finally says simply, after a moment of quiet. “How are you taking it?”

He looks to the floor. “You know, I’m not certain.” He gives a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t honestly think… well, if there is something going on between them, then he’s certainly a lucky man. And I think he knows it. But I don’t think there is. She’s crazy about me, you know.”

“He was supposed to be here today… we were going to do homework together,” she says quietly, unable to meet Chat’s piercing green gaze. “Maybe he decided- oh, I don’t know, Chat, do you think…”

Chat Noir is suddenly very close. At her feet on the floor, looking up at her with a curious tilt of his head, tail curled inquisitively.

And that’s when the floodgates break.

Marinette stifles a sob, and throws her arms around his neck. “Oh, Chat, I’m so embarrassed!”

He holds her against his shoulder, running his fingers through her hair. _She’s so soft,_ he thinks. _I can’t believe I made her this upset, I thought she didn’t even like me…_

She wipes her eyes with a tissue, sighing. “I was so different with him today, Chat. I talked to him like a normal person, I was so proud of myself! He was going to come over and eat macarons, and then he’d get addicted to them, and then he’d be around all the time, and then we’d fall in love and get married and live in a chateau with a garden…”

Chat Noir is stunned. “I didn’t realize you liked him like that.”

She sniffles, and nods to the wall behind him. He looks over his shoulder to take in an entire wall, plastered with posters and magazine clippings with Adrien Agreste’s face.

“Before, it was just an idol crush- he’s gorgeous, and sweet, and famous, and I thought ‘well, I don’t have a shot, but at least I can admire him from afar,’ and then today happened and we were all flirty and it was _amazing_ , and then he d-didn’t show…”

She sounds so crushed, like she just wants to curl in on herself until she disappears.

He shakes his head. “You know, he doesn’t know what he’s missing. You’re incredible, truly.” He puts a hand on her shoulder, snapping her attention to him. “Marinette, you stood up against a brainwashed classmate with superpowers and didn’t even flinch. I haven’t known you long, but I know you’re brave, and clever, and amazing, and I think… I think he knows that too.”

She studies him for a long time, eyes searching his face for- something, he can’t tell what. “Chat Noir, can I,” she swallows. “Can I…”

They’re very close, noses almost touching, feet shuffled together. “Can you what, princess?” he says, almost a whisper.

Marinette kisses him, softly, and it’s a question at first, and it’s one he answers eagerly. Her arms wrap around his neck, and his around her waist, and she sighs into his lips.

 _This is so much better than I imagined,_ he thinks, and wow, when did he start imagining kissing Marinette?

They part, question answered, and for a moment they’re frozen in time, foreheads rested against foreheads. “Marinette…” he whispers reverently, a prayer to anyone listening.

“What about Ladybug?” she says, softly. “What will she think?”

“Who’s Ladybug?” he smiles, a small laugh dancing across his lips, lips that were so recently _hers._

And so, for no other reason than because she can, because he’ll let her, and because _screw Adrien, screw Ladybug, and screw feeling sorry for myself_ , but most of all because to her absolute surprise _she really wants to,_ Marinette kisses Chat Noir again.

And again.

And again.

 

It’s only a few minutes later that he breaks the kiss, and even then only because his ring begins to beep. “Marinette, I-“

But she smiles warmly and cuts him off with another kiss. “I understand. Perhaps we can pick this up another time?”

He smiles bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. “What about Adrien?”

She bites her lip, looking at his. “Who’s Adrien?”

Chat Noir laughs, loudly and soundly, and it echoes through the room. “I’m sure the alley cats could direct me your way sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow night, around eleven?”

“Sounds perfect,” she whispers, and then, “Good night, my kitty,” and she kisses him again, one last time.

As he leaps from building to building, he can’t help but feel like he’s flying.


	4. Talking About Your Two Crushes to the Person who is Both, Part One: Cat Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir tells Ladybug about the two girls he's involved with.  
> Ladybug tells Chat Noir about the two boys she's involved with.  
> NEITHER OF THEM REALIZE THAT BOTH PEOPLE ARE EACH OTHER.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter, but it's just a prelude to things to come. In the near future: angst, fluff, confusion, and lots, lots more kissing. You're welcome.

It’s only an hour or so later that finds Chat once again out on the streets, this time for patrols with Ladybug. He waits for her in the usual spot- a rooftop near the river, with a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower just as the sun sets- and ruminates on his guilt.

As Adrien, he really, really likes Marinette. He’s sure there’s something between them, a spark that wasn’t there before. He wants to get to know her better, and he wants her to know him. But…

As Chat Noir, Marinette electrifies him. She turns him from playful alley cat into prowling hunter, and she _likes_ it. She looks at him like she’s trying to decide whether to kiss him or slap him, and if he’s lucky she’ll choose both and he’ll thank her for it.

And the way she kisses...

Needless to say, he’s very conflicted. Of course, he could reveal himself, and then it’s problem solved. He gets the girl as both Adrien and Chat Noir- assuming she wants him as both, of course. But there’s a third complication, too, one that isn’t quite so easy to define.

Ladybug, who’s due at Adrien’s window right after patrol tonight. And isn’t that what he wanted? He’s been pining over her for a year, now, and even though she doesn’t know who he is, he’s still holding her attention, and he can’t bring himself to give that up.

 _Speak of the devil,_ he thinks, as she swings in on her yo-yo. “Chat Noir, are you ready to go?”

He gives a distracted nod, rising to his feet.

The conversation is quiet and distant this evening. They’re both very distracted.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, sometime after the sun sets and several minutes since either of them have said anything. And damn it if that’s not the same voice she used on Adrien last night- that sincerity that keeps catching him by surprise.

He clears his throat and shrugs. “I don’t know. It sounds petty, now that I think about it.”

She gives him a frown, but doesn’t look away from him until she’s making the leap to the next rooftop. He lands beside her, just as she says, “if it’s bothering you, then it’s important. This isn’t like you, _chaton_ ; you’re usually so talkative. What’s on your mind?”

She sounds so genuinely concerned for him. _When did you start caring about me so much?_

“I think I’m falling for two different girls. I don’t know. It’s fast- I didn’t really think either of them liked me until today, but I guess I’ve kinda had feelings for them both for a while and didn’t realize it.” He blushes, averting his gaze. “I mean, one of them only likes Chat Noir, and one of them likes the guy underneath, but then the other one might also like the guy underneath and not realize that I’m, well, me- I don’t know, it’s complicated.”

She giggles, unable to help herself. “Why, Chat Noir, you little heartbreaker. You’ve got two different women wrapped around your claw and you can’t decide which.”  _Do you go to other girls’ houses and kiss them too?_

He gives his traditional smirk, and says, “Oh, but you know my heart belongs to you, my Lady.”

This seems to sober her a bit. “I’m in a similar situation, you know. I’ve liked this guy for a really long time, and I’m getting to know him more, but I don’t think he likes the girl under the mask very much. Meanwhile, this other amazing guy comes in out of nowhere and sweeps her off her feet, and I don’t know what to do. Do I keep going after the guy I used to be crazy for? Do I maybe try this new thing?” she looks so excited, but so conflicted as well.

He leaps to the next rooftop, turning to look back at her. “I think as long as nobody gets their feelings hurt, there’s nothing wrong with seeing where both lead.”

She shakes her head, crossing the gap after him. “That’s what I’m worried about, _chaton_.”

“Breaking one of their hearts?”

“No,” Ladybug smiles sadly. “They’re both resilient guys. No, I’m worried about making the wrong choice. I’m worried I’ll get _my_ heart broken.”

And then, so quiet that if it weren’t for his enhanced senses he certainly wouldn’t have heard it, she mumbles, “I’m not worth the heartbreak anyway.”

He’s silent for the rest of the night. She can’t help but think she’s caused a gap between them. But then, just before they part ways, he surprises her. He hugs her close, stroking her back slowly and rocking from side to side.

“You are an incredible person,” he says, “with or without the mask. And I’m certain that whomever you choose, he will know that.” He steps aside, hands on her shoulders. “And I promise you, _you are worth the heartbreak._ You are worth so much more.”

And then he’s gone, leaping off into the night, leaving her stunned atop the building, trapped beneath the darkness of the night sky and the silence of the city below.


	5. Talking About Your Two Crushes to the Person who is Both, Part 2: Where Did All These Feelings Come From

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug has a revelation, Adrien is sad, and an Akuma attacks. Chat Noir thinks this is all hilarious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am such a garbage writer I thought there'd be so much more to this story, and then I was like '6 chapters is enough right?' and then I was like 'I CAN DO IT IN EIGHT' and now I'm certain six is the right amount or maybe seven if I write an epilogue WHAT AM I DOING

Chat Noir gets home and changed just moments before Ladybug arrives.

And thank god for ending their patrol early, because she shows at 11:00PM on the dot, and if he hadn’t bailed Adrien might not have been around to receive her, and there’s no way he’d forgive himself if he stood up _both_ the girls he liked in the same night.

And now he’s gone and messed everything up, hasn’t he? Damn these feelings, damn these hormones, damn these two perfect girls-

No, no, don’t damn them. It’s not their fault he’s fallen for the both of them.

And then, on cue, Ladybug sails through the window at top speed and drops into a light jog, as if she weren’t just practically flying. Thank god he’s already transformed and kicked Plagg out to the kitchens, or…

What? She finds out he’s Chat Noir? _Isn’t that what you want?_

Before he can say anything, she’s on him, hugging him vice-tight, hard enough that he almost can’t breathe. If it were anyone else, he’d be startled, but this is his Ladybug. He wraps his arms around her and strokes her hair, making soft shushing noises into her ear.

_Weren’t our positions reversed, just yesterday?_

It takes a moment, but Ladybug puts herself back together. To her credit, she’s not crying, but she looks like she wishes she were.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pounce on you like that,” she says sheepishly, sitting down on the couch.

Adrien has to bite back a cat pun. “It’s fine. I was a little surprised, though; what’s wrong?”

She shakes her head, slowly, opening and closing her mouth again and again. “I-I can’t find the right words,” she whispers, sounding more broken than he’s ever heard from her- including just two days ago, when she thought he was plummeting to his death from the Eiffel Tower.

“Did something happen between you and Chat Noir, Ladybug?” he says. _Did I do something wrong?_

She makes a very confusing shake of her head, that seems to say _yes_ and _no_ and _maybe I don’t know please don’t ask_ all at once.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he smiles warmly.

It takes her a second, a long moment where she just looks at him and blinks. And then:

“I don’t know what to do, Adrien, I thought I was completely in love with this one guy, even though I barely _knew_ him, and he turned out to be really sweet and gentle and fun and I was like ‘oh my gosh I love him even more now!’ and then this other guy shows up and he’s a huge dork and at first I was like ‘wow, what an idiot,’ and then he turns out to _also be really sweet, and he’s loyal, and funny, and he always looks after me, and what do I do I’ve fallen in love with Chat Noir-“_

Both of them go deathly still. Not a breath passes between either.

Then, Ladybug rises from the couch, trembling. “I-I’m sorry, Adrien, I have to go, this isn’t right-“

And she’s on her feet before he can stop her, and he’s desperately trying to get his ring on and call Plagg to him, but she’s already out the window, leaving him even more confused than ever.

Adrien is certain of one thing, though.

_I have to tell her._

 

School is hell the next day. Marinette spends the entire morning ignoring him. It’s not even like before, when she would stutter and run off; she just stares straight ahead and pretends he isn’t there. It’s so much worse. Especially now that he knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that dazzling smile, that laugh that makes his heart light.

At lunch, Adrien sits down next to her and Alya, and Alya acts like nothing’s wrong, and Nino acts like nothing’s wrong, and Marinette acts like he personally murdered her parents and she’s declared a blood vengeance against him.

By the end of the day, he’s had enough. He steps up beside her just as she and Alya are leaving the building, uttering a rushed, “can I talk to you real quick?”

Alya excuses herself, sensing a moment coming to pass. “I’m really, really sorry for bailing on you last night, the photoshoot ran really late, and I don’t have your number-“

She looks at him like he’s speaking a different language.

“I’m sorry, was that not why you weren’t talking to me?” he asks. “What is going on?” He tries his best not to sound exasperated, but he’s so confused. He really is at his wits’ end.

Marinette gives him a sad smile, and a sadder sigh. “I’m sorry, Adrien, I really am. Ignoring you wasn’t the right way to handle this, but…” she lowers her shoulders in defeat, starts again. “You’ll always have a special place in my heart, but I think I’ve fallen for someone else.”

Adrien is speechless. A year of her pining after him, and he never noticed. The day after he notices her, she moves on.

He’s so relieved when the roof cracks open.

“I AM DOCTOR CLEAN,” the akumatized janitor bellows, “AND I WILL DESTROY ALL MESSES.”

_These villains are getting really worse in quality and theme,_ he thinks as he sprints around the corner. From behind him, he hears a voice that is unmistakably Chloe’s cry out in fear.

_Of course._

 

Chat Noir and Ladybug are really, really out of sync. The fifteen foot tall blue-skinned Spaniard is swinging an enormous mop that is positively dripping with some kind of acid at them, and he zigs, and she zags, and if it weren’t for the fact that repeatedly running into each other puts them both on the floor, they both would be taking hits to the face.

“The mop, Chat, get the mop!” Ladybug says, scrambling to her feet. She ducks under the next swing, and Chat grabs the handle with both hands as it flies past him.

With a Cataclysm unleashed, the mop breaks in two, and the black butterfly disappears into her compact. “Get lost, little butterfly,” she groans, releasing it into the sky.

Chat Noir doesn’t stick around to see what happens next. He needs to find Marinette.

“Chat, wait, please-!” Ladybug calls, but he barely hears it.

 

He ends up returning to her home. If she’s okay, she’ll be with her family, and if she’s not, then they’ll be the first to know.

Thankfully, she’s in her room, watching the report of the attack on the Ladyblog on her phone. He taps on the window aggressively, almost to the point where he’s afraid he’ll break the glass, but she lets him the moment she sees him there.

“Chat, what’s wr-“

He cuts her off with a kiss, searing like fire.

 

“ _Thank God you’re okay,_ ” he whispers, reverently, a prayer for anyone who’s listening.

“Of course I’m okay,” she says softly, running her hands through his hair. “I have you to protect me.”

Chat Noir suddenly remembers what Ladybug said about him the night before.

“I have to tell you something,” She says. “I broke it off with Adrien. I-I don’t know what we were before, but. I.”

She steps forward, ever closer. “It’s just you now, Chat. You’re all I need.”

She leans in, real close. She’s going to kiss him, he knows.

He laughs. So hard.

He’s on the floor, cackling. It’s so, so funny.

It finally, finally makes sense.


	6. No More Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to show his hand, and Adrien is all-in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought writing this fic would take up the better part of a week, but as of this moment, I've been writing it for exactly twenty four hours, and I feel really silly. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Playing Strangers, and please, do let me know what you think.

Marinette is Ladybug.

Adrien finally understands. After a year by her side, both with the mask and without, he has finally pieced together a coherent picture of this brilliant person he’s fallen in love with. Yes, she’s the shy, timid, polite girl, but she’s also the driven woman who stands up for her friends, and she’s also the creative genius who impresses even his father, and she’s even Lady of luck who defends Paris from evil. She is all these people, all at once, and she’s still just Marinette.

Just _his_ Marinette.

He’s never been so relieved in his entire life.

He can’t stop laughing.

Seriously, it takes a good ten minutes for him to calm down. Every time he thinks he’s fine, he remembers the absurdity again and loses it.

After about the third or fourth minute of waiting for him to relax, Marinette goes and makes some tea and returns, watching him with curiosity and amusement.

“You,” he says, finally getting the last of the giggles out, “are Ladybug.”

Thank God she’s in the process of setting down her mug as he says that, because it slips out of her grasp and almost certainly would’ve shattered otherwise.

“I’m who now? Me? No no no no no no, I can’t be Ladybug, I’m just-“ she begins rambling, turning bright red, redder than her polka-dot costume.

He interrupts, because he does that sometimes. “You broke up with Adrien- or, ended whatever it was between you two that had started, since you were never actually together- because you fell for me as Marinette, and you thought you were through with Adrien after he stood you up, but then you realized you’d also fallen for Adrien while you were Ladybug, and you had also fallen for _me_ as Ladybug, and you were so confused you didn’t know what to do,” he says, all in one breath, clearest he’s ever known anything in his life. It all makes sense now. It makes perfect sense.

She doesn’t say anything for a long time. But, then:

“When I met Adrien as Ladybug, and I could finally talk to him, it was like I got to see the person under the idol I’d always held. But Adrien, he looked at me- looked at Ladybug- like she hung the moon in the sky, and I’m not that person.

“I’m just Marinette. I’m awkward, and clumsy, and I ramble, and I’m terrible at flirting, except when I guess I’m not?” she smiles awkwardly, as if to prove her point. “I don’t think of myself as a hero. I don’t think of myself as anyone important. When I’m Ladybug, sure, I can tell myself that I’m a hero, that Paris needs me, but no one needs Marinette, not really.

“And I’m okay with that, really, I am. It took me a long time to be happy with who I’ve become, but I like who I am now, truly.

“But then you came along, _chaton_ , and you swept me off my feet in one night! You made me feel like it was okay to be all those things- that I could be a hero just by being Marinette. You made me feel like being Marinette was as wonderful as being Ladybug.”

And there’s that dazzling smile again. “I always thought, when you found out who was under the mask, that you’d be disappointed. Did you know that, kitty? I was so sure you’d see the real Marinette and want nothing to do with me. But I know that’s not true, now.”

The whole time she’s talking, his Cheshire grin just keeps growing and growing and growing, until he feels like his face is going to split open.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she says. “That’s how Adrien looks at Ladybug…”

He releases his transformation.

And she starts laughing.

 

She calms down much faster than he did before. (It’s not really that funny; Chat Noir is just a huge dork.) But then he starts laughing too, and then they just can’t help it. By the time they’ve both finally calmed down enough to hold an actual conversation, they end up sitting side by side on the roof, staring up at the twinkling lights of Paris.

“I used to think you didn’t like me,” Adrien says to her, lost in thought. “You didn’t seem to want me around. You’d run away whenever I got close, you’d couldn’t talk to me, I just figured you wanted nothing to do with me. I never realized you cared about me.”

She rests her head on his shoulder. “I used to think Chat Noir was just a flirt. A tomcat who spent his days chasing tail, so to speak. I never would’ve expected that it was just me he was like that to. I never thought he really loved me like that.”

He shifts a bit to look down at her, rested against his body. “I don’t know if you know this, but being Chat Noir was the first time in my life that I ever felt free.”

She sits up a bit, looks him in the eyes, searching for something.

He continues. “I told you before, how I’ve got all these expectations of me. I have to do well in school, I need to look good, I need to represent my father’s image, I need to behave properly… Chat Noir is the one thing in my life that belongs to me. When I’m in the mask, that’s the real me. I love being Chat Noir. So much more than being Adrien Agreste.”

He takes a deep breath. “As important as it is to you that I picked you, Marinette, and not Ladybug, it’s just as important to me that you picked Chat Noir over Adrien. I know it might not feel that way, but.” He says the last word like that, like an ending.

“Oh, _chaton,_ ” she smiles, and presses a soft kiss to his forehead. “You might not realize, but that perfect person they expect you to be- that perfect person I thought I’d fallen in love with, originally- that’s not really Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste is whoever you want to be, and if that person is someone who wears a skin-tight leather catsuit and fights evil with magical powers, then that’s who Adrien Agreste is.”

His heart swells with adoration.

“Can you believe us? Carrying on illicit affairs behind each other’s backs, _with_ _each other._ We must be the biggest idiots in all of Paris.”

She laughs, loudly and soundly, and rings out across the rooftops. “I think I’ve got you beat, kitty. I dumped you for you.”

“I love you,” he says, so sudden he surprises himself. “Marinette, I-“

She blinks, and the smile that opens up on her face is _radiant._ “I love you too, Chat Noir.”

When their lips meet, it’s a promise. A present, and a future.


End file.
